The world's fastest consumer CPU probably isn't worth the upgrade

Joystiq News

If you're able to splurge on Intel's high-end Xeon CPUs, then congratulations, Mr. McDuck! For the rest of us, the next best option is Intel's fastest consumer processor, the Core i7-5960X. And that's nothing to sniff at either: The 3Ghz, eight-core chip runs $1,050 or so, and you'll need to spend more than usual on the motherboard and DDR4 memory. But what if you ask Intel nicely and then they go ahead and ship you one, like I did? Then you'll have this informal test, as I compare the i7-5960X to my six-core, $390 i7-5820K in both real-world and benchmark tests. Is it worth the extra $660? Hmm.